Bitch Media - Tuning Inhttp://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/7583/0
enTuning In: Zooey Deschanel with the Bandhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-zooey-deschanel-with-the-band
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4647549834_4b0cbc6f9d_o.jpg /></p>
<p>This is my final installment of "Tuning In" for Bitch. I had a blast writing the series, enjoyed the discussions these entries generated, and appreciated the support the staff gave in putting this series together. While I'm sad to see it end, I look forward to reading current and future guest contributors' blog series. And for those who want to continue "tuning in," I encourage you to follow my blog, <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/" target="_blank">Feminist Music Geek</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/ms_vz" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. </p>
<div>I'll leave you with my thoughts on a proposed HBO series adapted from Pamela Des Barres' 1987 memoir <i>I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie</i>, which documented her boomer youth as vanguard groupie Pamela Ann Miller. Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2010/02/zooey-deschanel-to-be-hbo-groupie/" target="_blank">reported</a> the item earlier this year. While it is currently listed as untitled and in production on Deschanel's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0221046/" target="_blank">IMDb profile</a>, I still think this is an interesting though problematic project for the actress.
<p>First, there is the matter of the source material. <i>I'm With the Band</i> is still in print and considered vital documentation of rock's free love era. The book catapulted Des Barres into a successful writing career as well. Yet it also incited contention amongst many feminist critics. Des Barres, who herself identifies her actions as feminist, was surprised by this response. Having just read the memoir in anticipation of this entry, I understand the fuss.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V95fxRgfbYk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V95fxRgfbYk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>Apart from finding the author's writing and storytelling unremarkable despite the book's supposedly lurid content, I had difficulty conceptualizing groupies as empowered, autonomous beings. I don't want to slut-shame or pathologize the author, though I cringed every time she described her absentee father as her "big, gorgeous daddy." If Des Barres wanted to travel, attend concerts, and have sex with a bunch of male rock stars, I don't begrudge her those good times. </p>
<p>I admit that it is hard for me to see how these actions were revolutionary. I came of age during the third wave's emphasis on sexual agency following the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_Sex_Wars" target="_blank">sex wars</a>. These values were compromised by the noxious label of "do me feminism" before mass culture folded them into postfeminism. But as several literary and critical works note, the decision many white girls and women made to drop out of conventional society was quite radical for its time, as well as an indication of how few options were available to them. Of course, we can't overlook how identity markers like class, race, and sexual orientation made it easier for some to drop out while many had to stay at home, in the closet, or on their side of the city.</p>
<p>Yet to claim that occupying the role of groupie is feminist on the basis of choice seems to enervate the political muscle of the word and obscure the reality that Des Barres and many of her friends relied on successful male professionals to define their self-worth and dictate their personal trajectories. Furthermore, while these women perceived themselves as free agents–<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Plaster_Caster" target="_blank">Cynthia Plaster Caster</a> turned her fandom into a form of artistic expression -- they were not always treated this way by the men with whom they were involved. In <i>I'm With the Band</i>, Des Barres is dumped by Jimmy Page for a pubescent fan, mistreated by a possessive Don Johnson, and ignored by guitarist Chris Hillman. She does step out with Mick Jagger and a few others, but I'd hardly call that a victory. Empowerment through cheap sex doesn't make up for all the self-doubt she evinces throughout her memoir in response to her lovers' actions.</p>
<p>But this story could make for interesting television if executive producer Deschanel gets good people involved. I'd especially like to see attention paid to the era's changing gender, sexual, and racial politics. I hope these issues would be rendered in a complex, sensitive manner, as <i>Mad Men</i> at times evinces with bracing candor.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bbgSFzpN5FA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bbgSFzpN5FA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_7Zzb-t9Lc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_7Zzb-t9Lc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>Playing Des Barres could be smart preservation of Deschanel's musically savvy image. She's long associated herself with projects that position her as boutique indie cinema's hipster darling and <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/wild-things-16-films-featuring-manic-pixie-dream-g,2407/" target="_blank">manic pixie dream girl</a>, aligning herself with actresses like Natalie Portman, <a href="http://annehelenpetersen.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/guest-post-almost-famous-mapping-ellen-page%E2%80%99s-star-persona/" target="_blank">Ellen Page</a>, <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2010/01/06/nick-and-norahs-infinite-playlist/" target="_blank">Kat Dennings</a>, <a href="http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&amp;parid=2949" target="_blank">Olivia Thirlby</a>, and <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/04/21/em-lewin-music-geek/" target="_blank">Kristen Stewart</a>. Demonstrating knowledge about music has been central to her persona, most notably in <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/08/10/500-excruciating-days-of-summer/" target="_blank"><i>(500) Days of Summer</i></a> and <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/10/15/you-cannot-make-friends-with-the-rock-stars/" target="_blank"><i>Almost Famous</i></a>, both of which I've written about at length on my blog. <a href="http://www.bust.com/magazine/on-newsstands-now.html" target="_blank"><i>BUST</i></a>'s cover girl is also the vocalist for She &amp; Him, her indie pop outfit with M. Ward. And not that we should foreground celebrities romantic lives in our readings of them, but she is married to Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. In short, apart from Chloë Sevigny, few actresses are better positioned as indie's cultural ambassadors than Deschanel.</p>
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<p>It's also interesting that the medium Deschanel is looking to work with is television, as she is a film actress apart from appearances as a guest judge on <i>Top Chef</i> or <i>Bones</i>, the Fox procedural on which her sister stars. So were Sevigny and Page. However, Sevigny changed the emphasis placed on film with her breakthrough performance on <i>Big Love</i>. Page hosted <i>Saturday Night Live</i>, appeared as tween pop sensation Alaska Nebraska in a recent <i>Simpsons</i> episode, delivered PSAs against Burma's military dictatorship, and is a spokesperson for Cisco. Preceding the announcement of Deschanel's HBO deal, buzz gathered around <a href="http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/ellen-page-and-alia-shawkat-to-stitch-n-bitch-for-hbo/11582" target="_blank">a project</a> Page was doing with Alia Shawkat for the network about two twenty-something girlfriends who <a href="http://stitchnbitch.org/" target="_blank">stitch 'n bitch</a>. Given television's cultural renaissance in the past decade, it seems foolish for niche actors not to explore the medium's possibilities.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QRJQ9XxNO5o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QRJQ9XxNO5o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vHFUwFgu5w4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vHFUwFgu5w4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>I'm curious what Deschanel will bring to the role, as she's playing Kate Hudson's Penny Lane in <i>Almost Famous</i> instead of the cool older sister with the bitchin' record collection. Frankly, before reading the memoir, I thought Deschanel was miscast. I imagined Des Barres possessing the wise swagger, crackling wit, and menacing sensuality of Fairuza Balk's Sapphire character. But if the author's depiction of herself is any indication, Deschanel's performance as dream girl Summer Finn may have prepared her for the role. Both characters are fetishized as excessively feminine, often to the point of infantilization by their male suitors, who treat them less like people and more like vessels through which to funnel their one-sided desires. Both share a love for vintage attire, especially granny dresses and baby doll shifts. Deschanel could probably leverage her deal with <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/07/24/jazmine-miranda-zooey-and-cotton-the-fabric-of-their-lives/" target="_blank">Cotton</a> for the production's wardrobe department.</p>
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<p>Yet I hope the show digs past the chintz and lace of life on the road to delve into Des Barres's attempts to break into show business. She struggled to become an actress, mainly securing cameo performances in skin flicks where she wore padded bras or was relegated to the background to obscure her small breasts. This seems like an area that would offer rich commentary on the film industry's sexist and misogynistic practices.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4647029665_9a8b1f27fe_o.jpg /></p>
<p>In addition, Des Barres sang back-up on some male artists' recordings. She was also a member of the Girls Together Outrageously, a vocal ensemble comprised of groupies. Admittedly, the GTOs were assembled by Frank Zappa and accompanied by his band, the Mothers of Invention. Also, some of their songs are unfortunate relics of the era, with upsetting references to hypersexualized black men and predatory lesbians. But seeing Des Barres attempt to create something artistic may be worth exploring. At the very least, we know Deschanel has the pipes.</p>
</div>http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-zooey-deschanel-with-the-band#comments(500) Days of SummerAlmost FamousChloë SevignygroupiesHBOI'm With the Band: Confessions of a GroupieMad Menmanic pixie dream girlPamela Des BarresShe & HimThe GTOsTuning InZooey DeschanelTVFri, 28 May 2010 17:19:31 +0000Alyx Vesey3326 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: Postfeminist Miley, post-Montanahttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-postfeminist-miley-post-montana
<div>For the final week of "Tuning In," I'll bookend with entries on television I'm looking forward to watching later this year, taking time on Wednesday to focus on how Lady Gaga is incorporated into <em>Glee</em>'s "Theatricality" episode.
<p> Summer is shaping up to be a good season for television. Several programs like <em>Treme</em>, <em>Breaking Bad</em>, and <em>Friday Night Lights</em> wrap soon. Other shows, like <em>True Blood</em> and <em>Mad Men</em>, will begin new seasons. As season three of <em>Mad Men</em> was filled with interesting musical moments from <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/08/29/peggy-olsons-mirror-game/">Peggy Olson</a> and <a href="http://feministmusicgeek.com/2009/09/04/joan-holloways-magnificent-parlor-game/">Joan Holloway</a>, I'm especially looking forward to its return. I also wonder if they'll give one to Kiernan Shipka, who plays Betty and Don Draper's daughter Sally, after belting part of "Bye Bye Birdie" in a <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/04/drunken_mad_men_cast_and_crew.html">staff video card</a> for creator Matthew Weiner. I'm also interested in <em>The Secret Life of The American Teenager</em>, which returns for its third season on ABC Family. While I don't follow the program, and thus am not sure if I'll agree with its stance on teen pregnancy and motherhood, I am interested in seeing Bristol Palin play herself following the <a href=http://actyourage09.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/linked-up-bristol-palin-and-sex-education/">controversy</a> around her teen pregnancy PSA, as she will be also participating in a music program for teen mothers on the show.</p>
<p>Today, I focus on Miley Cyrus, who is distancing herself from <em>Hannah Montana</em>, which airs its final season on the Disney Channel in July.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4635290848_e3293dec80_o.jpg /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cib_9Ae1H68/SiR-R3jE6qI/AAAAAAAAA8I/-9WRj6hFlnI/s400/Hannah+Montana+Season+4+Cover3.jpg"></a></p>
<p>In case you weren't already aware, Miley Cyrus has ruled the pop landscape for the past few years. She has done this both as Miley Stewart, the everygirl who lives a secret life as pop star Hannah Montana in the juggernaut Disney TV/film franchise of same name, and in her own career, which the brand that catapulted her to superstardom foretold, if not entirely assured.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wwPD7XqZs_k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wwPD7XqZs_k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>But Cyrus is hoping to branch out, starring in movies like <em>The Last Song</em>, singing with Poison's Bret Michaels on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1628679/20091221/cyrus__miley.jhtml">a version</a> of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," doing edgier music videos, and releasing a new album. This is clearly <a href="http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/05/07/its-a-bird-its-gaga-its-miley/">strategic positioning</a> to make her over as an adult rather than child star or tween sensation. It's also caused much debate, as critics like Stephanie Zacharek <a href="http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/stephanie_zacharek/2010/03/31/the_last_song">derided</a> her performance in <em>The Last Song</em> and <a href="http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-the-kick-ass-girl-power-message-of-miley-cyrus-new-single-cant-be-tamed/">Jessica Wakeman</a> and <a href="http://tigerbeatdown.com/2010/05/13/miley-cyrus-betty-friedan-on-the-search-for-a-feminist-pop-star/">Chloe Angyal</a> disagreed on whether the music video for "Can't Be Tamed" exhibited feminist politics.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sjSG6z_13-Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sjSG6z_13-Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>At the risk of sounding like a lady-hater and cranky music snob, I don't care what happens to Cyrus professionally. As far as I'm concerned, she's a rich white girl with no charm who can't sing (note the burn on Cyrus's limited vocal ability in <em>Glee</em>'s "Laryngitis," wherein Rachel Berry delivers a tone-deaf performance of "The Climb"–that Berry thinks of her laryngitis as a disability seems to be rich terrain for TelevIsm's <a href="/profile/rmj">Rachel McCarthy James</a> to traverse). She was born into a successful family and will continue to be financially secure regardless of whether she can pull off a transition that has vexed many teen celebrities. Britney Spears even has a song about it, which commemorated her time in the position Cyrus occupies now. <em>South Park</em> also made connections between Spears's and Cyrus's careers in the season twelve episode "Britney's New Look," which is decidedly in a minor key.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IlV7RhT6zHs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IlV7RhT6zHs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NG2zyeVRcbs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NG2zyeVRcbs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>But I am curious as to how, if, and why Cyrus will have to disavow girlhood in this transition. This may be something Cyrus's audience has difficulty relating to as they enter high school and college, negotiating a post-adolescence without a multi-million-dollar brand and career, much less a fully secure sense of self. Will womanhood be defined by her (or for her) purely on the basis of postfeminist sexual and material gratification, as her recent music videos and cameo in <em>Sex In the City 2</em> may suggest? Why does she have to distance herself from the Mouse to pull this off? Does the network already have a successor in place? If so, what does this suggest about age, gender, and the short shelf life (sexist market imperative language used deliberately) for teen girls on the network? What if Cyrus doesn't make the difficult transition from Disney princess to legitimate star, something Hilary Duff couldn't pull off and Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale haven't yet accomplished?</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4635292812_f2de4c75fe_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Thus, while I'm also not a fan of <em>Hannah Montana</em>, as I find it loud, broad, one-dimensional, caustic toward any threat to normativity, and surprisingly mean-spirited, I am interested in how the season's narrative will play out for its titular heroine. In the movie, father Robby Ray (played by Cyrus's own father Billy Ray) decides that his daughter is too big for her designer britches and makes Montana get reacquainted with Stewart and her Tennessean roots. The movie ends with her revealing her true identity, which was then incorporated into season three. In the series finale, will her audience discover that Stewart's been Cyrus all along?</p>
</div>http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-postfeminist-miley-post-montana#commentsAshley TisdaleBritney SpearsCan't Be TamedDisney ChannelgirlhoodHannah MontanaHilary DuffMiley CyrusMiley StewartpostfeminismTuning InVanessa HudgenswomanhoodTVMon, 24 May 2010 18:32:53 +0000Alyx Vesey3304 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: The healing power of rock on Degrassi: The Next Generationhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-the-healing-power-of-rock-on-degrassi-the-next-generation
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4621069125_9c549a260f_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Recently, Caitlin at <a href="http://c8ic8.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Dark Room</a> asked if I watched <i>Degrassi</i>. She specifically inquired about the second installment of the Canadian teen drama, <i>The Next Generation</i>. I've only caught random episodes of both series with friends who either rented the DVDs or watched marathons on The-N.</p>
<p>She drew attention to season two's "Shout," which focuses on date rape and a teen girl survivor working through the aftermath. I was told that the episode also highlights girls playing together in a band. Suffice it to say, I was interested. I haven't been able to watch much beyond "Shout," which will be the focus of this entry. However, I don't think I could ask for a better entrance into the <i>Degrassi</i> universe.</p>
<p>Though the tone of the series is a bit earnest for me, I think I'm just acclimating to a particular sensibility. I applaud creators Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler's efforts. The sizable, diverse ensemble is comprised of age-appropriate actors playing characters who inhabit multiple identities. These characters are put in topical yet believable situations. They also interact in varied, character-specific ways that read as actual teenagers' responses to their environment rather than how a writer's room might hope a gaggle of high school students behave.</p>
<p>This brings us to "Shout," a two-part episode which aired in the states in 2003. Its main storyline does an admirable job addressing date rape and how it impacts girls. Popular cheerleader Paige Michalchuk (Lauren Collins) meets soccer player Dean (Shawn Roberts) during a game and thinks he's cute. The two meet at a party and seem to hit it off. They go to a vacant bedroom for privacy, but things escalate too quickly and Dean forces himself onto Michalchuk.</p>
<p>The remainder of the episode focuses on Michalchuk processing the trauma. First she's in denial, repeatedly asking her friend Hazel Aden (Andrea Lewis) to quit asking what happened at the party. Dean conceptualizes her flirtatious behavior prior to the rape as indication of consent, and brags to peers that they had sex. She exhibits clear discomfort with personal contact, jumping when Spinner Mason (Shane Kippel), a classmate who has a crush on her, sneaks up behind her at her locker. He deems his misconception of her actions as slutty, for which she slaps him.</p>
<p>Michalchuk also breaks down several times while rehearsing with her band Paige Michalchuk and the Sexkittens, or PMS (!). First she confides to singer/tambourine player Aden, who labels the encounter as rape, encourages her friend to get tested and seek counseling, and offers her support. Keyboardist Ashley Kerwin (Melissa McIntyre) is at first unaware of guitarist Michalchuk's situation and writes anti-rape anthem "<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OtualRB0xU">Poor Thing</a>" in an effort to provide more substantial material to their repertoire. Michalchuk wants Kerwin to cut the song from their set list and, when Kerwin assumes she knows more about rape because of research she conducted, Michalchuk reveals the truth and Kerwin drops the issue and comforts her bandmate.</p>
<p>Then the episode takes an empowering turn. I was of the impression that date rape and the band were handled separately. Thus, I was <i>thrilled</i> that Michalchuk uses music to channel her pain into something creative and affirming. Not only do PMS perform the song at an event, but Michalchuk strums her guitar and takes over vocals to confront Dean through song. In this moment, Michalchuk reclaims her voice and begins the healing process with the band as her allies.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4621676246_49cc00d39f_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Finally, I wanted to mention Michalchuk's sexual orientation and posit how it may link up with her role as PMS's guitarist. In later seasons, she is involved with classmate Alex Nuñez (Deanna Casaluce), who is a lesbian, and begins identifying as bisexual. I don't want to suggest that all female guitar players are queer, nor do I want to assume the storyline is inherently progressive. But, I would like to point out that several virtuosic lead guitarists are also lesbians, including <a href="http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/101664" target="_blank">Kaki King</a>, Tegan and Sara Quin, Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein, and Screaming Females' <a href="http://www.thetripwire.com/features/2009/03/03/on-the-cover-screaming-females/" target="_blank">Marissa Paternoster</a>.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4621069331_d7f5a07f02_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Some may attribute their presence to a butch or masculine attitude many guitarists feel pressure to project and assume lesbians are better suited for this kind of gender performance. I'm more inclined to read certain queer women's affinity for the ax as a means of showcasing the erotic potential of the manual dexterity involved in playing an instrument modeled after a curvy feminine torso. As this is the assumed domain of riff-savvy straight rock gods like Jimmy Page, I read these instrumentalists as reclaiming this sort of mastery for themselves. I don't want to suggest that bisexuality informs Michalchuk's guitar playing. However, I'm happy that, through music, one teen girl character learns to claim her sense of self. </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-the-healing-power-of-rock-on-degrassi-the-next-generation#commentsAlex NuñezAndrea LewisbisexualityCanadaCarrie Brownsteindate rapeDeanna CasaluceDegrassi: The Next Generationfemale guitaristsgirl instrumentalistsHazel AdenKaki KingLauren CollinslesbianismMarissa PaternosterPaige MichalchukPMSPoor ThingScreaming FemalesShoutSleater-KinneyTegan and SaraThe-NTuning InTVWed, 19 May 2010 17:01:09 +0000Alyx Vesey3282 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: American Idol's Crystal Bowersoxhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-american-idols-crystal-bowersox
<p><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/4613678231_c52e14cd06_o.jpg /></p>
<p> It may be a bit late in the "Tuning In" series to reveal this, but, like some <a href="http://www.fancast.com/blogs/category/eye-on-idol/" target="_blank">music critics</a>, I watch Fox's <i>American Idol</i>. I still follow it even though the past few seasons have been lackluster. I caught the end of the first season, which Kelly Clarkson deservedly won (cue "Since U Been Gone" and rock out), but remained a hold-out for a few years until my partner got me following Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice's season four tête-à-tête.</p>
<p> However, I have a love-hate relationship with the program. Many of the contestants bore or irritate me and the winner is often not who I'd choose. It also frustrates me that the competition can <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-04-28-elton-john-idol_x.htm" target="_blank">seem a bit racist</a>. The wrongful ousting of Tamrya Gray and Jennifer Hudson make this evident, as did Jordin Sparks's season six win, which came after darker-skinned contestants LaKisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle were voted off.</p>
<p> In addition, I think the show needs to end. <a href="http://idolator.com/5357752/simon-cowell-leaves-american-idol-now-what" target="_blank">Simon Cowell</a> is leaving. Episode premises and possibilities for new mentors have been stretched. <i>Idol Gives Back</i> continues to bloat on its own self-importance despite its purported altruistic intentions. I've also seen far too many Ford music videos (though I did perk up when last season's group did a rendition of Lykki Li's "<a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/35162-american-idol-sings-lykke-li/" target="_blank">I'm Good, I'm Gone</a>," as my synapses fire when indie and mainstream music culture coalesce). </p>
<p> This season has left me with little to latch onto. In a season that's been defined by artists <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/hollywood-round-2,38107/" target="_blank">packaging themselves</a> as hipster- or indie-friendly, the majority of these contestants have demonstrated for me how disappointing it can be when underground music is co-opted by the mainstream. That many of these bland artists were pretty white women with little staying power is even more disheartening. <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1631630/20100210/story.jhtml" target="_blank">Ellen DeGeneres</a> has offered some perceptive advice. There have been a few noteworthy guest performances, including Lady Gaga's pared-down "Alejandro" and Rihanna's "Rock Star," which made me want to teach her how to actually play the guitar. Beyond that, there's the lone female contestant in the top three who I hope takes over the title on May 26th.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hV0RPC6yHF0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hV0RPC6yHF0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> But I'm concerned that Crystal Bowersox won't be the next American Idol. If past seasons are any indication, two men will be in competition toward the end. In the past two seasons, we've seen Kris Allen and Adam Lambert square off, as well as Davids Cook and Archuleta (note: that gay male contestants like <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/06/the-rolling-stone-cover-adam-lambert-bares-all.html" target="_blank">Lambert</a> and Clay Aiken tend to outperform the victor is its own post).</p>
<p> In fact, Bowersox is in the <i>exact</i> place that Alison Iraheta was last season. As the awkward rocker teen was my pick last year, I feel like I'm about to say goodbye to this year's whiskey-throated female contestant. My hunch is that Lee DeWyze will win because he's a nice guy and sounds like Bob Seger. My fear is that Casey James's hair (and not his modest vocal talent) will create an upset, so I hope Bowersox and DeWyze make it to the top two.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNo9HUtrr8E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNo9HUtrr8E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> There's much I like about Bowersox as a personality, even though I tend to frown upon white girls having dreadlocks. She's a young mother, and I like when working moms balance building a family with carving a career or developing their talents. And if the tattoos don't say rocker chick (or recall season seven's Carly Smithson), is anything less establishment than proudly baring yellow teeth in a music and television culture accustomed to porcelain veneers? Regardless of what verdict is given, I hope she doesn't spring for a more telegenic set of choppers.</p>
<p> More importantly, Bowersox is immensely talented. She's got a gritty alto that obviously recalls Janis Joplin but could also draw in fans of more contemporary artists like Joss Stone. She plays multiple instrumentals, comfortable on both guitar and piano. She positions herself within a lineage of female artists by requesting that women who come on the show sign her guitar. It's an offer she even extends to artists who are several years younger than her, like Miley Cyrus. She's also <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/people/2253648,CST-FTR-crystal10.article" target="_blank">paid her dues</a>. This may be problematic in its assumptions of artistic integrity and authenticity, but I always like to see contestants' sweat equity.</p>
<p> This week, the top three perform two songs. One is selected by the judges and the other is self-chosen. I'm disappointed that Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi picked John Mayer's "Daughters" for James, as it's a creepy patriarchal anthem masking as a sensitive tribute to women that could be unfortunately seductive on the audience. DeGeneres picked Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" for Bowersox. I won't be surprised if she knocks out of the park, but I hope she has the votes to back it up. </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-american-idols-crystal-bowersox#commentsAmerican IdolCrystal Bowersoxfemale instrumentalistsfemale vocalistsFoxJanis JoplinJoss StoneTuning InTVMon, 17 May 2010 19:38:09 +0000Alyx Vesey3269 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: Treme's musical gender gaphttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-tremes-musical-gender-gap
<p><i>Treme</i> is half-way through its first season on HBO. The serial drama about the historic neighborhood's recovery from Katrina, has already been <a href="http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/whoa-hbo-renews-treme.html" target="_blank">renewed</a> for a second season. It is also, in many ways, creator David Simon's proper follow-up to <i>The Wire</i>, though he has also contributed <i>The Corner</i> and <i>Generation Kill</i> to the network. As such, expectations have been ramped up considerably. In <a href="/post/bitch-popaganda-celebrity-skin-edition">critical reception</a> I've seen of the show, the consensus seems to be that the show has potential and makes interesting use of its <a href="http://songsfromtreme.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">featured music</a>, but puts <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2250056" target="_blank">too fine a point</a> on certain characters and plot developments. Randall Roberts has also <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/05/treme-episode-four-hbo-annoying.html" target="_blank">pointed out</a> how the show fails in representing New Orleans's music culture. Aymar Jean Christian also composed a <a href="http://www.racialicious.com/2010/04/27/why-do-i-hate-steve-zahn%E2%80%99s-davis-in-%E2%80%98treme%E2%80%99/" target="_blank">take-down</a> of Davis McAlary, a hip white interloper played by Steve Zahn.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JUpRcVKLFmk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JUpRcVKLFmk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> I'm pretty much in line with these criticisms. I'm interested in the show and am a fan of many of the actors in the ensemble, but am not sure where the show or its characters are going. I will admit that I love hating Zahn's McAlary, whose type I've encountered elsewhere. But as it is a show <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/04/in-treme-music-is-the-star/38768/%20" target="_blank">about</a> music, specifically a music scene in New Orleans traditionally off limits to tourists, I'm intrigued. And as a Southerner with some personal experience with the Big Easy, though admittedly with the tourist-friendly French Quarter, I was curious as to how New Orleans would be rendered. </p>
<p>But I was also more than a little concerned about the potential for an absence that has proved itself evident: female musicians. So far, the only woman represented is violinist Annie, played by Lucia Micarelli. Even then, we know very little about the character beyond her classical training and that her keyboardist boyfriend Sonny Schilder (Michiel Huisman) gets jealous when she plays other male musicians' gigs. At this point, she doesn't even have a last name. It should be noted that <i>The Wire</i> faced <a href="http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/women-and-the-wire/" target="_blank">similar criticisms</a> with its representations of women. </p>
<p><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/4601420256_01b2ef71b3_o.jpg /></p>
<p> Furthermore, until last Sunday's "Shame, Shame, Shame," the show overlooked bounce, a subgenre of hip hop that recently came into vogue but emerged in New Orleans during the early 90s. Alison Fenderstock and Aubrey Edwards discussed its origins on <a href="http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/2010/feb/10/" target="_blank">WNYC</a> in support of an exhibit recently on display at Abrons Arts Center. With this relative oversight, the show may undermine its studiously constructed sense of authenticity and its obvious reproach toward gentrified new residents and slumming outsiders by excluding these contributions. Cheeky Blakk recorded with Rebirth Brass Band, who appear in the pilot's opening scene. Funk band Galactic appear in the second episode. They also recently released <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020504011.html" target="_blank"><i>Ya-Ka-May</i></a>, which features several LGBT artists who align with offshoot sissy bounce.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GG3L6VIV2yM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GG3L6VIV2yM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> I'm especially interested in seeing where sissy bounce would fit in with Simon's depiction of Treme. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2008/sep/29/sissy.rap.neworleans.bounce" target="_blank">Artists</a> like Katey Red, Sissy Knobby, and Big Freedia would certainly challenge it and potentially make the show more inclusive. It could also align the series with <i>The Wire</i>, which featured a few key gay and lesbian characters (though June Thomas <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2181449/entry/2185744/" target="_blank">points out</a> their problematic trajectories in a <i>Slate</i> piece which contains spoilers). It also seems a way to open up a culture that has been strictly depicted thus far as primarily a black man's game, but a man's game nonetheless.</p>
<p> I hope the show takes initiative to complicate this as the show's narrative continues to unfold. Perhaps it will. Bounce was introduced this week by teenage Sofia Bernette (India Ennega), who was listening to an unidentified artist affiliated with the subgenre on her headphones. While her novelist father Creighton (John Goodman) was the one who commented upon it, his daughter brought it into the show's world. In the coming weeks, maybe she and other girls and women will further ingratiate themselves across racial lines into this decidedly male musical environment.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-tremes-musical-gender-gap#commentsBig FreediabounceDavid SimonGalacticHBOIndia EnnegaKatey RedKatrinaLucia MicarelliNew OrleansRebirth Brass Bandsissy bounceSissy KnobbyThe WireTremeTuning InTVWed, 12 May 2010 16:51:14 +0000Alyx Vesey3245 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: The L Word's Planet and its musical orbitershttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-the-l-words-planet-and-its-musical-orbiters
<p>I recently finished Tara Rodgers's <i><a href="http://www.pinknoises.com/pn_book.html" target="_blank">Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound</a>. </i>I picked up the book at the publishers' expo for <a href="/post/mad-world-console-ing-passions-popaganda" target="_blank">Console-ing Passions</a>, where I also got to meet some <i>Bitch </i>staffers. <i>Pink Noises</i><br />
is a great collection of interviews Rodgers conducted over the past decade with female electronic musicians and composers. Some of the women featured are Le Tigre, Neotropic, Ikue Mori, DJ Rekha, and Pauline Oliveros. The book acknowledges that these artists are both musicians and technicians, cultural positions traditionally perceived to be occupied by men. Many of them, as Alley Hector noted in her review for <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/blog/alleyhector/women-in-electronis-music-get-their-due" target="_blank">AfterEllen</a>, are also lesbians. </p>
<p> This dispels the myth of what <a href="http://www.bevstanton.com/">Bev Stanton</a> refers to in her interview as the "granola ghost." This term refers to the stereotype that all lesbians listen to earnest folk rock. Now, I'm not here to dismiss the tastes of lesbian fans of, say, the Indigo Girls. But I take Stanton's larger point, which is that lesbians have a variety of preferences. Some of them, perhaps even a few who embrace <a href="http://modellesbians.tumblr.com/post/466257371/in-praise-of-lesbian-chic-conquering-the-dyke-fashion" target="_blank">hipster style</a>, may even stay ahead of the curve when it comes to contemporary music.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/4581629908_15df700f92_o.jpg /></p>
<p> So today, I thought I'd turn our attention to Showtime's <i>The L Word</i>. I'll admit that the Los Angeles-based ensemble dramedy created by Ilene Chaiken was marred by over-the-top situations, uneven character development, hackneyed writing, a bevy of skinny femmes, and racially problematic casting decisions. It also featured one of the worst theme songs ever, which was written and performed by BETTY.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/14uEo07Wj3o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/14uEo07Wj3o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> However, until the final season I was hooked. I started watching with my girlfriends in college toward the end of <i>Sex and the City</i>'s run on HBO (<i>L Word</i> fans may recall that the show's original tag line was "Same Sex, Different City"). I was invested in many of <i>the L Word</i>'s characters and their long, interconnected histories with one another. I appreciated the incorporation of lesbian icons through dialogue or cameos, and the attention drawn to lesser-known cultural practices like <a href="http://www.dinahshoreweekend.com/">Dinah Shore Weekend</a> or the prevalence of lesbian nuns. I liked the sex, even though it was often of the lipstick variety. Most of all, I enjoyed the role music played in the women's lives. </p>
<p> <img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3304/4581003677_d1122bf558_o.jpg /> </p>
<p> My favorite character was Alice Pieszecki, a bisexual journalist and radio personality played by Leisha Hailey. Prior to her work here and in a string of <a href="http://www.dennishensley.com/LWord.htm">potentially queer</a> Yoplait commercials, the actress made a name for herself as one-half of folk outfit the Murmurs, played a musician in Alex Sichel's lesbian coming-of-age movie <i>All Over Me</i>, and has also recorded as a member of electro duo Uh Huh Her.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/at1VECYv_tw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/at1VECYv_tw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> Hailey's professional background was not central for Pieszecki's characterization, though music did factor into her job as a deejay. She'd create thematic playlists featuring lesbian-identified musical acts like Tegan and Sara. She would also use her program to talk at length about political and personal matters which, for an out queer woman, tend to be intertwined. </p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4581634400_d021d87639_o.jpg /> </p>
<p> Another character I liked was Carmen de la Pica Morales, a DJ portrayed by Sarah Shahi. Perhaps the character who most closely aligns with the culture of female musicians Rodgers focuses on, Morales is shown throughout her stint as a cast principal as being adept with technology and privy to how to keep a dance floor moving. I did find her glamorous, skimpy attire not without its own issues -- particularly when she catered to a heterosexual male clientele. But her character also proved that women get behind the turntables, and that many female deejays are lesbians. </p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4581635800_183114c805_o.jpg /> </p>
<p> The last character I'd like to draw attention to is Kit Porter, rendered by the legendary Pam Grier. She is the older half-sister to Bette (Jennifer Beals), a powerful figure in the art world. Porter was a recovering alcoholic and professional singer who worked with artists like Nona Hendryx and Snoop Dogg. Also, despite being the only "straight" women in her group of friends, she was often one of the most open-minded about her own sexuality. During the series' run, she was involved with a drag king, a younger man, a lesbian, and a drag queen.</p>
<p> Finally, I'd like to note the group's meeting place, a coffeehouse called The Planet, which Porter owned. It also doubled as a concert venue. While it's implausible that a space of its size could accommodate international touring acts and their fans, I enjoyed seeing artists like Sleater-Kinney, the B-52s, and Goldfrapp take the stage as the ladies cheered them on. Many of the acts have queer fanbases, for whom the show's characters represented. Furthermore, several of the artists themselves identify as members of the LBGTQI communit(ies).</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXKVxngopqY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXKVxngopqY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n64UOEbAYS0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n64UOEbAYS0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p> Thus, the multiple ways in which the show used music suggests its cultural contribution to making lesbian culture both visible and audible on television.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-the-l-words-planet-and-its-musical-orbiters#commentsAlice Pieszeckibisexual womenCarmen de la Pica MoralesDJsfemale singersGoldfrappIlene ChaikenKit PorterLeisha HaileylesbiansPam GrierPink NoisesqueerSarah ShahiShowtimeSleater-KinneyTara RodgersThe B-52sThe L WordThe PlanetTuning InTVWed, 05 May 2010 17:50:51 +0000Alyx Vesey3213 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: M.I.A.'s "Born Free"http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-mias-born-free
<p><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/4559269351_2e10deaf6c_o.jpg /> </p>
<p>Monday marked the release of the music video for M.I.A.'s "Born Free," the lead single off the British rapper/singer/visual artist's forthcoming third album, and yet another clip from a female pop star this year that caused <a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/mia-releases-graphic-expl_n_552486.html">quite a stir</a>. Continuing the discussion begun by the <a target="_blank" href="/post/open-thread-mias-new-video-born-free">open thread</a> Kjerstin started yesterday, I thought I'd share my thoughts.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11219730&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11219730&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>Anticipation for new material from M.I.A. has been high in the wake of 2007's <em>Kala</em>, which catapulted her from indie darling to pop star. She performed with mainstream hip hop's male elite at the Grammys on her son's due date, had her music featured in the trailer for <em>Pineapple Express</em>, and worked on <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>. She also launched her label N.E.E.T., <a target="_blank" href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/mia-down-in-the-hole-up-on-the-charts,8368/">covered</a> Tom Waits's "Way Down In the Hole" signed Rye Rye and Blaqstarr, and <a target="_blank" href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/04/mia_on_lady_gaga_none_of_her_m.html">evaluated</a> the artistic merit of Lady Gaga. Earlier this month, she made a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/mia-announces-album-release-with-a-blimp.html">big splash</a> at Coachella by advertising the release of her next album on a blimp during Jay-Z's set. The album version of "Born Free" leaked online last Friday.</p>
<p>But few seemed prepared for the incendiary clip, which was met with heated debate and taken off YouTube within hours. Directed by Romain Gavras, the nine-minute epic documents a militia breaking into civilians' homes, terrorizing the inhabitants, rounding up redheads in hiding, and executing them at gun point. It's grisly stuff, to be sure. Frankly, I'm not sure if I like the video. I certainly haven't enjoyed watching it, though I'm not sure how one could. </p>
<p>However, I was surprised at the tweets I read about it, especially from feminist critics. Some folks seemed put off by the depictions of heavy-set people being brutalized. The most notable example is a heterosexual couple interrupted while making love. Frankly, I didn't find the depictions insulting or grotesque. If anything, they were candid and provided some humanity, particularly when the couple reach for each other following the break-in. I'd also note that the man in the relationship is naked, thus providing the clip brief full-frontal nudity. I might even go so far as to say that it momentarily shifts the power dynamics Jessica Grose <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2249415">called out</a> in her critique of <em>Greenberg</em>, arguing that director Noah Baumbach used the unadorned sexuality of mumblecore to the benefit of his movie star lead.</p>
<p>I was particularly struck by <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/annkpowers">Ann Powers</a>'s tweet that M.I.A. is a female pop star whose politics don't place much emphasis on gender. Though I respect Powers a great deal, I must disagree with her opinion here. M.I.A. has written songs about sex trafficking, capitalism's influence on sexual politics, and patriarchy's control over women and girls. I believe that she doesn't ignore gender so much as constantly engage it in an uneasy dialogue with race and ethnicity. She is not a Sri Lankan-born Brit first and a woman second. Rather, she is at once a woman, mother, third-world refugee, first-world traveler, and politicized pop star who uses the medium to stage an ongoing critique against capitalism. This makes for tense dealings. But then again, first world feminism's relationship with women of color exists along similar fault lines.</p>
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<p>Some, including Powers, noted that the use of redheads in "Born Free" may be an allusion to <em>South Park</em>'s "Ginger Kids" episode, as well as an acknowledgement of England's contentious relationship with Ireland. I'll point out that in the DVD commentary for that episode, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone mention a move by organized English redheads toward categorizing themselves as an official race separate from other white people. Much of this seems to be in response to <a target="_blank" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6725653.stm">gingerism</a>, a nation-specific form of racism.</p>
<p>I'm also inclined to read "Born Free" as something of an analogue to M.I.A.'s own experiences as a Sri Lankan refugee. Maya Arulpragasam fled her home country for London as a child because her father, a member of revolutionary group the Tamil Tigers, was considered part of a terrorist organization that was put on several watch lists and under intense government surveillance. Great Britain colonized the country in the late 1700s and maintained control of the region until after the second world war, perhaps placing the pop star's unfavorable attitude toward nationhood in a sociohistoric context.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/4559269353_b8fb8955a4_o.jpg /></p>
<p>I'd also like to point out that M.I.A., while talked about at length, is not in her own music video. As a matter of fact, she's little more than a disembodied voice falling in and out of audibility. Many female pop stars are central to video spectacle, and the fashion-forward M.I.A. has been no exception in the past. Thus, her absence is intriguing. Is she playing through a radio or an intercom? Are we hearing her through a member of the militia or one of their victims? Is she already dead? Wherever she is, she's not providing her audience with a new dance routine. </p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DCL1RpgYxRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DCL1RpgYxRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>Furthermore, we cannot overlook the use of Suicide's "Ghost Rider" which is sampled extensively. As M.I.A. often employs samples from musical acts associated with punk, the inclusion of "Ghost Rider" is in keeping. But note that the original contains the lyric, "America is killing its youth." This line was just as poignant in 1977 in a country still traumatized by the Vietnam War as it is today with American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. These actions are also just as damaging to citizens in developing nations who are trying to live amidst the spoils of capitalism. As a result, the song seems to negate itself, suggesting that no one is truly free under this system of authority.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7WqOMPakGCg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7WqOMPakGCg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>Finally, I'd also like to mention an astute comment <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/jesshopp">Jessica Hopper</a> made in relation to Gavras's clip for Justice's "Stress" which featured young men of color terrorizing people and is similar in its depictions of power and violence. Hopper pointed out that no one assumed that the clip's political message came from the Parisian dance duo and wondered why folks assume that "Born Free" is M.I.A.'s statement instead of the director's.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9518258&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9518258&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>I'm inclined to believe M.I.A. and Gavras worked together on this one, at least to some extent. They made many people uneasy as a result.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-mias-born-free#commentsBorn FreecapitalismcolonialismgendergingerismM.I.A.music videosraceRomain GavrasSri LankaterrorismTuning InviolenceMusicTVWed, 28 Apr 2010 18:03:11 +0000Alyx Vesey3182 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: Glee's "The Power of Madonna"http://bitchmagazine.org/post/glees-the-power-of-madonna
<p><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4540000788_5f77b9f7bd_o.jpg /></p>
<p>After <a target="_blank" href="http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/10/21/glee-exlcusive-madonna-is-in-is-adam-lambert-next/">much anticipation</a>, <em>Glee</em>'s &quot;The Power of Madonna&quot; finally aired on Tuesday. I watched while following <em>Bitch</em> contributor <a target="_blank" href="/profile-node/sara-reihani">Sara Reihani</a>'s <a href="http://twitter.com/BitchMedia">live-tweets</a> on &quot;Power.&quot; </p>
<p>In all candor, I wasn't impressed with tonight's episode. Some of my dissatisfaction with &quot;Power&quot; may have to do with lofty expectations. Also, though I like Madonna, I find her contributions to feminism and womankind to be overpraised. Like many pop stars, Madonna has always been relied on producers, songwriters, music video directors, journalists, publicists, stylists, and many others to help her create &quot;Madonna&quot;, which challenges just how singular a presence she really is.</p>
<p>Furthermore, while the Material Girl has a robust catalog of pop anthems, I would've been happier to see the cast pay tribute to the work of another empowered female pop star who ruled the 80s: Janet, Ms. Jackson if you're nasty. Jackson's politicized contributions to pop music are often ignored. &quot;Control&quot; is Jackson's salute to her own burgeoning sense of autonomy. &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9uizdKZAGE">What Have You Done For Me Lately?</a>&quot; is a woman's demand that her partner treat her with the respect she deserves. &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gu1KETjVY">The Pleasure Principle</a>&quot; celebrated female desire and sexual agency several years before <em>janet. </em>was released. &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAwaNWGLM0c">Rhythm Nation</a>&quot; urges for a peaceful end to racism. &quot;New Agenda&quot; encourages black women to reclaim their worth after centuries of oppression. &quot;Free Xone&quot; speaks out against homophobia. &quot;What About&quot; interrogates intimate partner abuse. &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MROVvcmSyeI">Together Again</a>&quot; eulogizes a friend of Jackson's who died of AIDS. Ms. Jackson's first name is most certainly not &quot;baby.&quot;</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4540000848_ed67fee73b_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Despite Will Schuester using Madonna as a teaching tool because of Sue Sylvester's influence, I found the episode and the incorporation of Madonna's oeuvre to be disappointing. Madonna's role in empowering members of New Directions, the Cheerios, and virginal guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury enforced staid gender stereotyping and pretty conventional attitudes toward sexuality. Most of the girls took Madonna's message to mean self-empowerment through &quot;owning&quot; their sexuality, culminating in a performance of &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKIqGhqMv60&amp;feature=related">Like a Virgin</a>.&quot; Yet Pillsbury and Rachel Berry remain virgins. I found this unsatisfying, primarily because Finn Hudson does have sex for the first time, but as it's with Cheerio Santana Lopez, who he doesn't care about, he regrets that it "wasn't special." </p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4540000682_39bbb43bed_o.jpg /></p>
<p>These exchanges prompt Schuester and Hudson, along with New Directions member Artie Abrams, to recognize that they've been mistreating the ladies in their lives. The guys in New Directions express this musically by rehearsing &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYwgG2oyUbA">What It Feels Like For a Girl</a>.&quot; The song choice indicates they've matured in their views toward women and girls through Madonna, as they originally felt uncomfortable performing her songs. They also read the spoken introduction together, which is actually a sampled monologue delivered by Charlotte Gainsbourg in the film <em>The Cement Garden</em>. However, some of their actions are misguided acts of chivalry. While Schuester realizes he put too much pressure on Pillsbury, he also persuades her into counseling. As Reihani <a href="http://twitter.com/BitchMedia">noted</a>, it would've been nice if she made that call for herself.</p>
<p>I also found it disconcerting that Madonna is upheld as a role model for young girls without any mention of more contemporary female artists. If Fox isn't down with <a href="http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&amp;parid=3551">Beth Ditto</a>, Karen O, or M.I.A., what about <a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/new-king-pop-queen">Beyoncé</a>, <a target="_blank" href="/bitchmagazine.org/post/tuning-in-janelle-monáes-tightrope">Janelle Monáe</a>, Kelly Clarkson, <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/35558-le-tigre-working-with-christina-aguilera/">Christina Aguilera</a>, or <a href="http://flowtv.org/?p=4169">Lady Gaga</a>? None of these public figures are perfect, but to have Pillsbury suggest that it's either Madonna or Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Ann Coulter is outdated and insensitive.</p>
<p>Frankly, the show seemed like 50-minute advertisement for Madonna's <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113092530"><em>Celebration </em>retrospective</a>. Thus, I was also disconcerted by Sylvester's unchecked hero(ine) worship. While I like the connections Sylvester drew between Madonna's and her own commanding presence, I didn't appreciate that she was perhaps the worst perpetrator of the Madonna = sex = power rhetoric the show was espousing. She made the Cheerios date middle school boys, took away their last names, and pumped Madonna songs through the school intercoms. She even denied Pillsbury the ability to listen to Madonna because she didn't own her confidence (i.e., sexuality) enough.</p>
<p>I was surprised by Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones, who shook things up in &quot;Power.&quot; It turns out they were the ones who created the &quot;Vogue&quot; video we were all <a href="/post/sue-sylvesters-vogue">talking about</a> last week. They perform &quot;4 Minutes to Save the World&quot; with the Cheerios. They join the squad because, as they explain to Schuester, they are tired of being marginalized. This complaint of course echoes the criticisms many have made about the show relegating token characters to the background. Maybe they can get Quinn Fabray back on the squad, as she hasn't made much noise since the season resumed. I'd be fine with seeing a pregnant cheerleader execute a floor routine on stilts.</p>
<p>But these moments aren't enough. Once again, Berry is showcased in two songs: &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8">Express Yourself</a>&quot; and &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA983t3Rdzs">Like a Prayer</a>.&quot; She and Hudson also do a mash-up of &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSaC-YbSDpo">Borderline</a>&quot; and &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1vlvsqw_IU">Open Your Heart</a>,&quot; which is intended to ramp up continued romantic interest in the couple. Jones does tear it up with some solo runs on &quot;Express Yourself&quot; and &quot;Like a Prayer.&quot; But this is just as she and the viewers at home predicted, thus making the episode's events at once meet and miss expectations.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/glees-the-power-of-madonna#commentsfemale empowermentfemale pop starsfeminismFoxGleeJanet JacksonMadonnaracesexualityTuning InTVWed, 21 Apr 2010 15:00:00 +0000Alyx Vesey3148 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: Liz Lemon's ringtonehttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/liz-lemons-ringtone
<p><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2124/4513666882_245c690951_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Last month, NBC aired <em>30 Rock</em>'s &quot;Future Husband&quot; episode, wherein <em>TGS</em> creator/head writer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) tracks down the man she labeled her spouse-to-be on her iPhone. It was a follow-up to the Valentine's Day-themed &quot;<a href="/post/adventures-in-feministory-dr-rev-anna-howard-shaw">Anna Howard Shaw Day</a>,&quot; which found the show's heroine spending the most romantic day of the year at the dentist, haunted by hallucinations of ex-boyfriends as the painkillers took hold. Apparently while doped up, Lemon met a British man named Wesley Snipes (Michael Sheen). When they exchanged phone numbers, both parties were looking to settle. &quot;Future Husband&quot; focuses on them not wanting to acknowledge that society thinks their age and relationship status thinks that they should. For those who'd like to watch the episode in full, go <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/133237/30-rock-future-husband#s-p1-so-i0">here</a>.</p>
<p>As I was anticipating this blog series at the time of my viewing, imagine my good fortune when I realized that Lemon changed her ringtone from Richard Wagner's &quot;Ride of the Valkyries&quot; (i.e., Elmer Fudd's &quot;Kill the Wabbit&quot;) to Peaches's &quot;Fuck the Pain Away.&quot;</p>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hh7DyKlziQY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hh7DyKlziQY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><p>I've long been a fan of <em>30 Rock</em>. As a feminist media scholar, there's so much to latch onto. Apart from being smart and funny, there's an ongoing critique around working in network television, which has long been integrated into the business strategies of multi-national corporations. The show is also laced with a myriad of knowing winks to pop culture, product placement, and the cast's star personae. At the center of it all is &quot;one very, very special white lady&quot; who reminds its viewers that sexism continues to permeate office culture and heterosexual relationships, just as white guilt and misogyny can distort the aims of feminism. Every day is a <a href="http://flowtv.org/?p=1537">power negotiation</a>.</p>
<p>I'll admit that since mid-way through season three, I feel the show has gotten louder, weirder, plagued by too many guest stars, and less focused on the sitcom's backstage world of live sketch comedy and its minor characters. And as Sady Doyle has astutely pointed out <a href="http://tigerbeatdown.com/?p=972">on her own</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2010/03/26/sexist-beatdown-liz-lemonist-feminism-edition/">in dialogue</a> with Amanda Hess, the show has become progressively meaner toward its protagonist's looks, her self-esteem, her deteriorating friendship with <em>TGS </em>star Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), and her relationships with other women.</p>
<p>But I'm still a fan. I'm proud that creator Fey has become so well-regarded and successful. She's winning Emmys, garnering <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125667118">starring roles</a> in movies, and continuing to put Sarah Palin <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/11/sarah-palin-network-video_n_533094.html">in her place</a>. I also feel like some of the show's uglier moments toward women reveal the work that needs to be done within feminism regarding homosocial trust and healthy forms of professional competition.</p>
<p>I've always enjoyed the moments when Lemon or other characters mention of make light of distinctly female items of mass culture: Spanx, cougars, MILFs, Dove Pro-Age, Oprah, Ellen, <em>Ugly Betty</em>, <em>Cathy</em>, Alanis Morrissette, and <em>Designing Women</em>, among others. I'll add queer electro artist Peaches, who has a strong fanbase within contemporary feminist circles. She also appeared on the soundtrack to <em>Mean Girls</em>, Fey's breakout screenplay that adapted Rosalind Wiseman's <em>Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence</em>. GE Vice President Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) was mocking subordinant Lemon in the pilot when he described her as, &quot;New York, third-wave feminist, college-educated, single and pretending to be happy about it, over-scheduled, undersexed, you buy any magazine that says 'healthy body image' on the cover, and every two years you take up knitting for … a week.&quot; At the same time, he was referring to at least certain aspects of many of us. And since Fey herself wrote the pilot, presumably that's her assessment.</p>
<p>I'm also interested in whom Lemon likes. Though her white heterosexuality is evident, she is often inspired by or seeks allies and friends in people of color and members of the LGBTQ community, especially black women and lesbians. She wants to be friends with Angie, <em>TGS</em> star Tracy Jordan's wife. She's obsessed with Oprah. Her struggle to remain top dog on the <em>TGS</em> staff mirrors Deborah's ascendancy on <em>MILF Island</em>. She wishes her feelings of companionship for Donaghy's former contemporary Gretchen could be sexually reciprocated. Again, Peaches seems to be another person with whom Lemon tries to identify. And if she can't be friends with her, at least she can use her campy, subversive music as a ringtone to defiantly make public her single status and sexual needs.</p>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-03qx4SwAOg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-03qx4SwAOg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><p>As for many feminists, the union of fan and cultural producer is not a perfect one. But the processes of identification are as interesting here as they are problematic, something Liz Lemon and Tina Fey are no doubt aware. And with that, I'll close with a mash-up of Miss Piggy lip-syncing the Peaches song in question. Something tells me that Liz Lemon has already seen it and is amused.</p>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-aGTNS13SDU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-aGTNS13SDU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>http://bitchmagazine.org/post/liz-lemons-ringtone#comments30 RockfandomFuck the Pain AwayLiz LemonPeachesTina FeyTuning InTVMon, 12 Apr 2010 18:06:04 +0000Alyx Vesey3091 at http://bitchmagazine.orgTuning In: Neko Case as Cheyenne Cinnamonhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/neko-case-as-cheyenne-cinnamon
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4504742604_6b8fc3694d_o.jpg /></p>
<p>Adult Swim recently co-sponsored the Big, Über Network Sampling contest with Burger King. Pilots competed for airtime and <em>Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge</em> was chosen the winner. <em>Cheyenne</em> was created by Dave Willis, who was also behind Adult Swim staples <em>Aqua Teen Hunger Force</em> and <em>Squidbillies</em>. The pilot features voice acting from several folks associated with <em>ATHF</em>, including nerdcore rapper mc chris, Dana Snyder, Frannie Hood (Kristen Schaal's alternate billing credit), and Neko Case. She had a cameo in the &quot;Sirens&quot; episode and is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bust.com/blog/2010/03/30/neko-case-stars-as-adult-swims-cheyenne-cinnamon.html">star of this project</a>. For those who haven't seen the episode, you can view it <a target="_blank" href="http://www.adultswim.com/promos/bkbuns2010/index.html">here</a>, along with the other finalists.</p>
<p>The basic premise is as follows: Cheyenne Cinnamon is a blond, buxom pop star based outside Detroit who channels the power of catchy hooks, positive thinking, dance routines, and bare midriffs to solve people's problems. However, she tends to wreak more havoc than broker peace. With clear substance abuse problems and little regard for anything beyond her immediate needs, Cinnamon is more villain than heroine. She embodies the extremes of celebrity narcissism and abjection.</p>
<p><img src=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4504743346_f0b9684b32_o.jpg /></p>
<p>In the pilot, Cinnamon's charge is an unnamed teenage girl (played by Schaal, credited as Hood). She has been impregnated by her married softball coach and her negligent parents (voiced by Snyder and Rachel Dratch) can't help her. A fan of Cinnamon's, the girl is initially thrilled to receive the pop star's guidance. But soon she discovers that all Cinnamon can offer her is a series of sung platitudes and a mountain of cocaine. Some time after the girl delivers her baby (and the father has been relocated with job intact), Cinnamon wonders aloud if she helped the girl while getting naked in front of a producer to make the song she's recording sound sexier.</p>
<p>Cinnamon is all about Cinnamon. She'll stop action to convince herself aloud that she doesn't need drugs to be a dynamic person, opine about whether to steal another girl's cell phone, muse about wanting a neck tattoo or an anal piercing, or stub her cigarette in her pet unicorn's eye while in flight, effectively killing the mythic creature. When her handler, Gummi (played by mc chris), reports the death as a stolen vehicle, the cops beat the girl while her idol walks away unconcerned.</p>
<p>There should also be some acknowledgement made toward the pilot's problematic relationship with race. Cinnamon and her fan are both white and blond, though the teen's has dark roots and appears to be working class. However, many of the folks on Cinnamon's payroll are African American or can be coded as black, including back-up dancers, producer Big Chocolate Bunny (voiced by MF Doom), and security guard Gingerbread Bouncer (played by T-Pain).</p>
<p>The pilot made me uncomfortable as a feminist for obvious reasons. Adult Swim often trades in programming that employs <a target="_blank" href="http://flowtv.org/?p=1601">uncomfortable comedy</a>. As I would presume the network's target demographic to be twenty-something heterosexual white men, I was not sure whether the show was being critical of the gender and sexual politics of stardom, or if it was just being mean to female pop stars. Also, having Cinnamon so closely mirror Britney Spears's Lolita image and recent history of self-destruction seems fairly obvious, as it did when Richard Kelly cast Sarah Michelle Gellar as porn star/cable television lifestyle guru Krysta Now in <em>Southland Tales</em>.</p>
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vtp14ikRvxo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vtp14ikRvxo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><p>Furthermore, this seems like a really safe glass house out of which to throw stones. A pilot about how pop stars are evil on a network run by a subsidiary of Time Warner? With or without the hipster cred of its programming schedule and voice talent, the event that allowed for the pilot to be released was underwritten by major corporations. Plus, it's not like indie rock stars can't be reckless or narcissistic too.</p>
<p>Yet I find Case's involvement interesting for a few reasons. For one, she is playing against type. Case made a name for herself later in life as an independent recording artist who continues to write challenging material and stretch herself professionally. For another, she is playing toward type, as recent <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/01/17-things-i-love-by-neko-case.html">contributions</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106504004">appearances</a> suggest that she's a funny lady, which fans know from her stage banter. Finally, she's defying audience expectations. In the music world, she's celebrated for her powerful singing voice. But she doesn't sing a note as Cinnamon. Butch Walker's material for Cinnamon is performed by Sofia Toufa, who sounds very different than Case's <a href=http://www.anti.com/artists/view/13>singular alto</a>. Assuredly, this is also meant to serve as a comment on pop star's artifice. Whether pre-recorded or heavily manipulated in the studio, many pop stars aren't singing in their real voice when they're performing.</p>
<p>In sum, while I may not become a fan Cinnamon, I'll continue to follow Case.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/neko-case-as-cheyenne-cinnamon#commentsAdult SwimBritney SpearsCheyenne Cinnamonfemale pop starsNeko CaseTuning InTVFri, 09 Apr 2010 19:30:00 +0000Alyx Vesey3084 at http://bitchmagazine.org